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Giuliana Rancic and Efrat Roman Discuss CureDiva.com, a Curated Shop of Fashion and Beauty Must-Haves for Women With Cancer

When Giuliana Rancic was diagnosed with breast cancer, she shared all of the courageous, frightening, and heart-wrenching moments with the world. Her public struggle inspired many women—and also connected her with other advocates like Efrat Roman. Roman launched online shop CureDiva.com as a result of her experience with cancer. "The one thing that surprised me more than anything was the absence of a designated online shop for my new lifestyle needs," she told us. She created a curated selection of fashion and beauty items that are both safe for and helpful to women with cancer. "Feeling like a woman and feminine is important," Rancic told us. "It wasn’t until I went back to work at E! News when I got my hair and makeup done and my wardrobe and when I looked in the mirror I saw myself again."

Roman and Rancic tell us more below about their experiences with cancer, what they wish all women knew, and why they want to get the word out about CureDiva:

Tell us a little about why natural beauty products are important during and after treatment.Roman: "Ever since I finished chemotherapy, I felt that my body just could not take chemicals anymore," she said. "Whenever I tried to use 'regular' products, I had allergic reactions, itches, sore skin...even when I was using products I'd been using for years before treatments... certain smells are also very hard to take, so I started using only fragrance-free products."

Rancic: "It’s hard to know what products you need and where to go. The great thing about CureDiva is that it has all of that information and safe products in one place."

What's something that really surprised you about the experience?Rancic: "It was the best decision I ever made to go public about my journey because I see the effects of it. Women would come up to me and say because of you I got a mammogram. Because of you I found my breast cancer early and I’m going to be OK. It’s incredible to have a bigger purpose than I ever thought.”

Roman: "The changes are so quick and extreme that one cannot expect them," she told us. "I think the two most unexpected side effects were having hot flashes at the age of 40, and losing half of my right eyebrow a month and a half after finishing treatments."

What's something that really helped you get through it?Rancic: "One thing that helped was what my husband calls the 99-cent solution. We bought a 99-cent legal pad and made a list of the pros and cons of whatever we were debating; we did that when we were deciding what to do with the mastectomy, and as soon as we made a list and put pen to paper it wasn’t as bad as we had thought," she said. "Having a support system is extremely important. At two in the morning you may need someone to call. If you know a woman who doesn’t have a husband or a boyfriend or a friend, you’ve got to help them."

Roman: "Treatment brings what is called chemo brain, which is a side effect that really harms your concentration abilities, so books and films were not an option [for me]. What really helped were yoga, meditation, and lots of breathing, when I was not able to do anything harder than that. And more than all, I had a little secret therapy: At the hardest times of treatments, when I was lying in bed for days, unable to walk or get up, I used to imagine I was dancing."

Knowing all that you do now as an advocate for the cause, is there any particular thing you recommend all women do as a preventive measure?Rancic: “You have to care about yourself and be proactive about your health.”

Roman: "I think that the first thing any woman should do is know her breasts, and I mean really know them. Touch them often and know their texture, the way they feel during your period, knowing whether your breast tissue is dense or not, and if there's any tiny change, get checked! Try to live as healthy a life as you can, eat as natural as possible, use less chemicals at home and especially over your body, and get routine checkups."